


Masculinity in Jekyll and Hyde

by Skyed0m



Series: English Essays - Because sanity is for losers [1]
Category: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Essays, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28843512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyed0m/pseuds/Skyed0m
Summary: An essay I had to write a while ago.It killed me to do it and I'd hate for it to just sit on my laptop forever so here it is.There may/will be othersAny critiques, comments and/or opinions are more than welcome provided you are cordialEnjoy the by-product of my painLove,Skye <3
Series: English Essays - Because sanity is for losers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114985
Kudos: 7





	Masculinity in Jekyll and Hyde

The time periods these take place in are around 300 years apart. This change in time has inevitably prompted differing standards of masculinity in both cultures and whilst there are similarities, the greater parts are different.

In Romeo and Juliet masculinity is presented in a predisposition towards violence, which is emphasised at numerous points in the play. One of the most notable of which being this extract. Wherein Tybalt attempts to initiate a fight with Romeo. After his first refusal, where Romeo uses love as a reason to dismiss Tybalt ‘the reason I have to love thee does excuse the appertaining rage to such a greeting’, Tybalt proceeds to refer to him as ‘Boy’. In doing so he implies that his refusal unmans him, an implication which is formalised in Mercutio’s reaction to his second refusal ‘O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!’ the use of tripling emphasises his disappointment in Romeo for his turning down a challenge. This ideation is echoed in another notable fight – the opening fight in 1.1 where Sampson says ‘Draw, if you be men’ this is a proactive statement which is goading the men into violence, presenting that if they do not do so, the result is to forfeit their masculinity and by so doing, any respect that would be afforded to them. Furthermore, the idea of a man in Verona’s time seems to disregard any respect for softer emotions – as evidenced immediately after by Romeo remarking on how Juliet’s ‘beauty hath made {him} effeminate’ and by extension his love for her and the emotions of love have made him weaker and suggests that ‘fire-eyed fury be {his} conduct now’, as he must now save his honour by revenging his friend who died protecting it. As such it lends weight to the fact that not only is Benvolio ignored in this extract in his attempts to stop them fighting – ‘reason coldly of your grievances’, he is ignored throughout the whole play in his attempts at peacemaker, further highlighting that the idea of masculinity focuses, not on logic or reason, but on violence, impulse and bloodlust.

Contrastingly in Jekyll and Hyde, the ideas of a ‘proper’ Victorian man are almost the polar opposite. Violence is categorically frowned upon, and where others made have pardoned it amongst themselves or deemed it justified amongst themselves in Shakespeare’s play, the same cannot be said for Stevenson’s novel. Masculinity here is generally presented in the gentleness of men: relies on good character, respectability and knowledge and the idea that privacy was a most precious commodity. As such when Jekyll ask Lanyon if he will be ‘wise’ and if he will be ‘guided’ will he ‘suffer {him} to take the glass// or has the greed of curiosity too much command of you?’. At such times and Lanyon being a religious man to prod at the idea of his being curious would have been a challenge to both components of the, main ideas of masculinity and Lanyon’s own character. To be wise and private with other’s affairs was a mark of a gentleman, but the pursuit of knowledge and knowledge of his own craft and to be bereft of knowledge that Jekyll possesses would be an insult to his pride. Additionally, the rejection of violence as a masculine trait is shown through the opinions of Hyde, who is naturally predisposed to violence as many characters are in Romeo and Juliet, but who is often described to be ‘inhuman’ and ‘malformed’.

Following on from this masculinity is expressed in the form of Pride in both texts. This translates simultaneously as pride in themselves, their honour and reputation. As previously mentioned, it appears that Lanyon holds pride in the idea that the suggestion that he may be wrong does not worry or scare him as he replies to Jekyll’s questions with an affected ‘coolness {he} was far from truly possessing’ , even going so far as to say he ‘{hears} him with no very strong impression of belief’, As though to show fear in the face of what he infers to be advancement would be an injury to himself, or to show too much interest would be a mark of Jekyll’s superiority over his own. This again factors into reputation and competition, though none of the public will know the outcome. Here, Jekyll’s pride in himself becomes apparent as he terms his discovery ‘a prodigy to stagger the unbelief o Satan’ and it is clear he feels superior to Lanyon and bates him as such, a challenge similar to the one Tybalt places before Romeo, as he takes this opportunity to remedy his own wounded pride ( a by-product of Lanyon’s disparagement of his work) ‘you who have been so long//who have denied the virtue of transcendental medicine//who have derided your superiors – behold’. His boasting tone clearly shows the pride he has within himself and the continued use of tripling places emphasis on his statements and Lanyon’s supposed indiscretion.

This idea surrounding masculinities presentation through pride is echoed in a similar fashion in Romeo and Juliet, as has been previously mentioned. The extract given is the precursor to a fight which is initiated due to Tybalt’s feeling slighted by Romeo as explained when Tybalt says that Romeo’s first refusal ‘will not excuse the injuries That {he} has done {him}’, the word injuries meaning a violation of the honour of his house and therefore his own pride. Because of this he terms him a ‘villain’ meaning scoundrel which was very serious insult and would, under normal circumstances call for the fight that Tybalt is looking for. Romeo however shoulders his wounded pride for the sake of Juliet and so Mercutio takes it up on his behalf. The ensuing fight results in Mercutio’s death.

A trait common of both portrayals of masculinity is the inherent carelessness they all seem to possess. In the first extract both Tybalt and Mercutio are careless with their own lives as Tybalt is set on fighting Romeo and Mercutio simply want to fight “here’s my fiddlestick; here’s that shall make you dance”. The fiddlestick is a metaphor for his sword, in that he has already decided that he is going to fight him. Because of this recklessness, the actions that follow are predictable and devastating, namely the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio and subsequent banishment of Romeo. Romeo cries that he is fortune’s fool, the personification of fortune implying that they are controlling what becomes of him, however he fails to recognise the fault lying within himself and his adherence to the careless nature possessed by so many of his counterparts. This is shown also in Jekyll’s baiting of Lanyon and Lanyon’s ensuing reaction the bait. Against the warning Jekyll so condescendingly gives as an ultimatum, ‘neither richer nor wiser’ or a new province of knowledge, he disregards his gut feeling of uneasiness that pervades the extract and agrees. The results once again are disastrous – he ‘{raises} his arms to shield {himself} from that prodigy’ which plays into the idea that his own carelessness has resulted in something he was not prepared for. Jekyll’s own carelessness compliments this as he is so caught up in his own pride and contempt for Lanyon that he doesn’t think about how it may affect him in the long run. Lanyon himself states that his ‘soul sickened at it’ and predicted, in the same way that Mercutio did that he was not long for the world.

The masculinity in both of these extracts and their corresponding texts that is presented by the majority of the characters is both toxic and ultimately destructive. The exception being a few characters: Namely Utterson, Benvolio and Poole. Ultimately the thoughts and feelings that are implies and ultimately expressed are a showcase of the more derogatory parts of nature, ad whilst they not exclusively male, the study of these characteristics pertain somewhat exclusively to the male characters in these stories.


End file.
